Hotel Chocolat Group has announced the transfer of its retail stores in Denmark to Retail Brands. It has also signed a development agreement covering Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

FOOD & DRINK

Hotel Chocolat transfers stores in Denmark to Retail Brands

27 July 2018 | by The Retail Bulletin

Hotel Chocolat Group has announced the transfer of its retail stores in Denmark to Retail Brands. It has also signed a development agreement covering Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

We love chocolaty retail news! Having launched its first Danish store in Copenhagen in 2012, the company has three stores in the country.

Hotel Chocolat’s existing trade in Denmark will transfer to the franchisee which will grow the business in accordance with a development agreement. Meanwhile, Hotel Chocolat will have the option of buying back the business after a period of five years.

Goods will be sold to Retail Brands on wholesale terms with a royalty levied on sales.

Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive of Hotel Chocolat, said: "Having proven the popularity of the Hotel Chocolat brand with Danish consumers we are excited to be entering our next phase of Scandinavia-wide growth. By combining the strengths of our products and brand with the operational skills of an in-country partner, our goal is to deliver sustainable growth in Denmark and the wider Nordic region."

Retail Brands operates a number of international retail franchises in the Nordic region. Hotel Chocolat said its strong local knowledge of the Scandinavian market made it ideally placed to grow the chocolatier’s operations in the region.

Tobias Johan Toft, co-founder and chairman of Retail Brands, said: "We are delighted to add Hotel Chocolat to our brand portfolio. We are well advanced with our plans to open new stores and expect to open at the Bruuns Galleri shopping mall in Arhus and Ro's Torv mall in Roskilde this autumn."

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